Australian Customs Officials Will Search Your Laptop For cough

[blueflamenco]

Then the KRudd spin machine has won. Look like we are doing something while actually doing nothing. This measure and the ISP filter are just to win votes from people who do not understand what really goes on.

If you think that asking people if they have cough on them will protect children from abuse you are kidding yourself. Worldwide agencies have had tremendous results using covert methods to infiltrate and close these networks down.

ejb

Clearly it is not the most effective way to combat child coughography. I am not suggesting it is. But I don't think it's worth making a fuss over if you have your laptop screened. And as I have said before, if this (seemingly to many) ridiculous process puts one child predator away I think it has served a purpose.

 

[serfty]

I don't know if anyone has mentioned where this question actually is on the form.

I filled one out yesterday and was looking for it - it took a bit to find it.

There it was on the line:

Are you bringing in to Australia:

1. Goods that may be prohibited or subject to restrictions, such as medicines, steroi_s, coughography, firearms, weapons of any kind or illicit drugs?

 

[samh004]

There are internet technologies which assist (such as Tor and anonymous proxies) - by hiding your web access, and of course on-disk encryption as already discussed in this thread.

I’ve used Tor, bit slow for Bit Torrent though

I think the attitude of some people here is a bit precious. Every single day innocent people get searched at airports, questioned by police and breath tested on the road.

I agree they should be polite and professional about it, but other than that I think there's an overreaction here.

I think the problem is, if you are now stopped because they want to search your HDD, how long would that take? Searching bags is one thing, but a 500GB+ HDD… that could take forever. And even if they just copied it, which would take a few hours anyway, what then, if you have Outlook or some desktop email client, all your passwords are automatically entered and they can browse your emails until they choose to get rid of the copy surely. Stuff like that is :shock:

I don't know if anyone has mentioned where this question actually is on the form.

I filled one out yesterday and was looking for it - it took a bit to find it.

There it was on the line:

So you wouldn’t even realise really!

 

[drron]

I don't know if anyone has mentioned where this question actually is on the form.

I filled one out yesterday and was looking for it - it took a bit to find it.

There it was on the line:

Apparently not all the old forms have been used so not everyone is asked the question.
Confusion over coughography question on entry cards

 

[drron]

Well, you learn something new every day! I had never heard of female sex tourism. I had no idea there was a demand for it, how ignorant of me. .

Actually going on for some time.Talking to a few of the local lads at a rum shack in Barbados during the last 1 day cricket world cup-they were talking about the fun they had with "milk bottles".Turned out to be unattached,white American women.

 

[JohnK]

What is the ratio of women child sex predators to men?

I don't mean to be rude but does that really matter?

A sexual predator is a sexual predator regardless of their gender.

Just like a paedophile is a paedophile regardless of their gender.

Stereotyping for the sake of stereotyping is wrong. As an innocent Australian returning from my hard earned overseas holiday I take offence to be labelled a criminal. We will just to have agree to disagree on this one.

And from a customs/security point of view if it looks like they are doing something then it must work and be safe for all. The key word here is "perception" even though I did not use it in the previous sentence.

 

[rambisyouth]

As an innocent Australian returning from my hard earned overseas holiday I take offence to be labelled a criminal.

John - I'm not sure whether you're deliberately emotive, however I would ask three questions:

1. Should we change the red and green lanes to 'guilty' and 'innocent'? Then we could allow open slather through the 'innocent' queue because we know no one would lie about this.

2. Should you be treated differently to someone who was GIVEN a holiday? What difference does 'hard earned' make? It's 100% subjective.

3. Who labelled you a criminal? If you can tell me I'll fund your defamation case (assuming you are innocent, of course).

If we changed this topic from coughography to drugs, would it be a big issue? I imagine a full cavity search can take a while too.

 

[harvyk]

If we changed this topic from coughography to drugs, would it be a big issue? I imagine a full cavity search can take a while too.

The thing is a full cavity search is not done at random... It is done only once they suspect you may have something...

Can you honestly say you've had no problem dropping you daks and have a stranger sticking their hand up where the sun don't shine "just in case" you may have put something there? :shock:

If there was a way for customs to use non-evasive methods first, such as swabbing a laptop for illegal cough (like they currently do for drugs), and only if the swab turned up positive they would dig deeper, then I'd have no problem.

The problem is I have a real objection to undergoing extreme scrutiny on the off chance it will catch someone, and if I'm ever asked to allow them to look at my laptop, I will be calling my solicitor first.

 

[rambisyouth]

The thing is a full cavity search is not done at random... It is done only once they suspect you may have something...

Can you honestly say you've had no problem dropping you daks and have a stranger sticking their hand up where the sun don't shine "just in case" you may have put something there? :shock:

If there was a way for customs to use non-evasive methods first, such as swabbing a laptop for illegal cough (like they currently do for drugs), and only if the swab turned up positive they would dig deeper, then I'd have no problem.

The problem is I have a real objection to undergoing extreme scrutiny on the off chance it will catch someone, and if I'm ever asked to allow them to look at my laptop, I will be calling my solicitor first.

The 'bottom' line is that of course I would prefer not not be be searched but if my number's up, it's up. In 100+ international flights the only 'interrogation' I have received is an explosives check. Maybe I'm lucky? Maybe I don't look shifty enough?

 

[blueflamenco]

The thing is a full cavity search is not done at random... It is done only once they suspect you may have something...

Can you honestly say you've had no problem dropping you daks and have a stranger sticking their hand up where the sun don't shine "just in case" you may have put something there? :shock:

If there was a way for customs to use non-evasive methods first, such as swabbing a laptop for illegal cough (like they currently do for drugs), and only if the swab turned up positive they would dig deeper, then I'd have no problem.

The problem is I have a real objection to undergoing extreme scrutiny on the off chance it will catch someone, and if I'm ever asked to allow them to look at my laptop, I will be calling my solicitor first.

Aren't full cavity searches now performed at a hospital through an MRI?

 

[harvyk]

Aren't full cavity searches now performed at a hospital through an MRI?

Only if they think you've swollowed something, if they think you have simply stashed something they will take you to the back room and snap on the gloves... (Used to do work for customs \ aqis, luckly not the type of work involving rubber gloves)

 

[JohnK]

3. Who labelled you a criminal? If you can tell me I'll fund your defamation case (assuming you are innocent, of course).

Customs and Quarantine. At the point where they decided they were going to do a thorough search of my luggage and took my phone away. Stupid dumb questions trying to trap me. Did you go out at night? Did you talk to any strangers? Duh.

No point going into all the details again but I am not lying when I tell you that she was extremely disappointed when she could not find anything on me. Very sad indeed. It is not an experience I want repeated anytime soon. And in the end not even an apology. Waste of my time and their time....

 

[rambisyouth]

Customs and Quarantine. At the point where they decided they were going to do a thorough search of my luggage and took my phone away. Stupid dumb questions trying to trap me. Did you go out at night? Did you talk to any strangers? Duh.

So they made you feel like a criminal but didn't actually label you a criminal?

 

[drron]

So they made you feel like a criminal but didn't actually label you a criminal?

Has this ever happened to you?If not how do you know how John felt?
In 2008 transitting LHR i set off the security detector.Rather than getting me to remove anything-and i knew it was my knee brace that was at fault-I was taken into a room and strip searched.Yes you do feel like a criminal especially when you know it is totally unwarranted.

 

[rambisyouth]

Has this ever happened to you?If not how do you know how John felt?

No it hasn't. If you read my posts I'm not saying that JohnK didn't feel like a criminal. I am saying that as best I can tell from his responses, they didn't label / call him a criminal. There's a difference.

If they called him a criminal then I stand corrected.

 

[serfty]

... And from a customs/security point of view if it looks like they are doing something then it must work and be safe for all. The key word here is "perception" even though I did not use it in the previous sentence.

Stuff happens.

If you are selected for secondary screening then there's little you can do about it.

Smile, be nice, accept it - that's the peril you take on arriving into a country.

No point going into all the details again but I am not lying when I tell you that she was extremely disappointed when she could not find anything on me. Very sad indeed. It is not an experience I want repeated anytime soon. And in the end not even an apology. Waste of my time and their time....

And the nicer you are, the better you'll feel when you know:

1) They are only doing their job, and
2) You have done nothing wrong.

FWIW, I have been selected for secondary screen several times coming into Oz and twice coming into NZ. (full baggage search, no strip searches)

I just sit back, smile, watch, assist, smile and take in the experience; knowing they'll have to let you go soon.

 

[dajop]

So they made you feel like a criminal but didn't actually label you a criminal?

They not going to start labelling people criminals at random. Although it is easy to understand how an interrogation would make someone feel like a criminal, that is the nature of the beast. However a simple apology with an explanation can sometimes go a long way - run into someone on a power trip and they can make you feel this big.

I don't think it unreasonable for JohnK to have concerns- after all he had the experience, not anyone else.

As to the broader question - sure if this practice has a good hit rate it seems worthwhile - if it is merely posturing to pander to particular interest groups and proves ineffective (one would expect a certain number of "hits" per annum), then better ways spending our resources should be found. It's no good saying "oh if it saves one child from a scumbag that's justification", NO IT'S NOT. If the resources could be spent elsewhere and wouldn't save anyone then yes that's fine. If the resources spent elsewhere could save 2 dozen children instead of one then it doesn't seem justified.

 

[blueflamenco]

I just sit back, smile, watch, assist, smile and take in the experience; knowing they'll have to let you go soon.

Good advice.

I cringe when I see those individuals on Border Security having a tantrum. They end up causing a scene over nothing.

 

[kyle]

I don't know if anyone has mentioned where this question actually is on the form.

I filled one out yesterday and was looking for it - it took a bit to find it.

There it was on the line:

Oh my. Does that mean I have to declare my prescription medicines on my return? But then, the wording of the question is funny because those medicines are not then subject to restrictions because I've got a script from an Aust doctor? Confusing.

 

[JohnK]

So they made you feel like a criminal but didn't actually label you a criminal?

If you still want to take this stance then fine. I know exactly what I went through and how the customs/AQIS officers presented themselves. If you treat someone like a criminal you may as well call them a criminal.

I just sit back, smile, watch, assist, smile and take in the experience; knowing they'll have to let you go soon.

And this is exactly what I do.